�Allah revealed to Prophet �Isa �alaihis salam that: O �Isa! Have faith (imaan) in Muhammad and order your ummah to do the same. If Muhammad was not in existence, I would not have created Adam nor would I have made heaven or hell�. (Also from Shaykh Taqi ad-Din Subki in Shifa as-Siqam and Shaykh al-Islam al-Bulqini in his Fatawa and ibn Hajar in Afdal al-Qur�an).

Hadith 3: Dailami in Musnad al-Firdaus reports from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiyallahu ta'ala anhuma) that:

�the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) said that Jibra�il came to me and said that Allah says: If you were not created, I would not have made the heaven or hell�.

Hadith 4: ibn Asakir reports from Salman al-Farsi (radiyallahu ta'ala anhu) that:

�Jibra�il came to the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) and said that Allah says: I have not created anyone who is more honoured to me that you. I have created the world and all that is therein so that they may know the rank that you possess. I would not have created the world if I had not created you�.

Hadith 5: Imam Shihab ad-Din ibn Hajar �Asqalani says:

�These reports say that if Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) were not created then Allah would not have made the skies nor the Earth, neither heaven nor hell, neither the sun nor the moon�.

There are many other ahadith on this subject which have been collected by Imam Ahmad Rida Khan Barelwi in his brilliant �Tajalli al-yaqeen baana nabiyyina sayyidil mursaleen� and it is without doubt that the righteous �ulama have addressed the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) as the �Reason for the creation of Adam and the universe�. If the sayings of our �ulama are collected, this would cover a voluminous book. A few are noted below.

Hadith 6: see the discussion of the very important http://www.sunnah.org/sources/musannaf/musannaf_f.htm - .

Excerpt 1: Imam Saif ad-Din Abu Ja�far bin Umar al-Humairi al-Hanafi in his �al-Durr al-tanzeem fee mawlid al-nabi al-kareem� says:

�When Allah made Adam He revealed to Adam to ask Him: O Allah! Why have you made my kuniyah as �Abu Muhammad�? Allah said: O Adam! Lift you head. He lifted his head and saw the noor (light) of the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) on the �Arsh. Adam asked: O Allah! Whose is this noor? Allah said: It is a Prophet from your progeny. His name is Ahmad in the skies and Muhammad on the Earth. If he were not created, I would not have created you or the skies and the Earth�.

Excerpt 2: Sayyidi Abul Husain Hamdooni Shadhili writes in his Qasida Daaliyah that:

�The dear Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) is the essence of the universe and is the reason for all creation. Had he not have been, then nothing would have come into existence�.

Excerpt 3: Imam Sharaf ad-Din Abu Abdullah Muhammad Busiri writes in his Qasida Burda that:

�If it was not for the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) then the world would not exist�.

Excerpt 4: Imam Shaykh Ibrahim Baijuri writes in the commentary of Imam Busiri�s poem:

�If the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) had remained non-existent, then the universe would not have come to be. Allah said to Adam: If Muhammad had not existed, I would not have created you. Adam is the father of all men and whatever is in the Earth has been created for man. So when Adam was created due to the existence of the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam), then it is obvious that the whole world was created due to him. Hence, the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) is the cause and the reason for all existence.

Excerpt 5: �Allama Khalid Azhari, commenting on the Burda, says:

�It is because of the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) that the world was bought from non-existence to existence�.

Excerpt 6: Imam Mulla Ali Qari writes:

�If it were not for the blessing and the generosity of the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam), then the whole world would not have existed and apart from Allah, nothing would exist.

Excerpt 7: �Allama Abul Ayash Abdul Ali Lakhnawi writes in his �Fawatih al-Rahmoot Sharh Musallam al-Thuboot� that:

�If the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) were not in existence, then the blessings of Allah would not have blessed the creation�.

Only an ignoramus will argue against the authenticity of the subject matter, that is, that the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) is the reason for creation. It is due to him that Allah, the Almighty, created the Universe.

(This answer has been translated by http://www.aqdas.co.uk/ - Muhammad Aqdas from Mufti Zafar ad-Din al-Bihari al-Ridawi�s (rahimahullah) collection of fatawa �Naafi�il bashar fee fatawa zafar�. It is a question asked by Shaykh Rahim Bakhsh of Rawalpindi received by Mufti Zafar ad-Din on 15th Rajab, 1324 AH. Mufti Zafar ad-Din was one of the foremost students of Imam Ahmad Rida Khan Barelwi (rahimahullah). [source at http://www.aqdas.co.uk/ - www.aqdas.co.uk ] and slightly modified by ASFA staff [grey text]

There are many other more or less direct textual proofs to that effect, among them the fact that Allah ordered the angels to learn the names of things from Adam, but He ordered the universes to learn about Allah Himself from the Prophet (SAWS): �The Beneficent! Ask any one informed concerning Him� (25:59); the fact that the Prophet (SAWS) is to witness not only over his own Community but over all others (2:143 and 4:41); the fact that the Prophet (SAWS) alone, of all humankind, jinn, and angels, has been given the Maqam al-Mahmud (17:79) i.e. the Glorious Station (of intercession with Allah Most High) and, in the Sunna, the fact that Allah did not give His intimate friendship to any angel, but He gave it to the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) as well as to Sayyidina Ibrahim (AS), and He made the Messenger of Allah the Imam of all Prophets and Messengers when he prayed among them in Masjid al-Aqsa, the intercessor for all the Communities (in the hadith "People shall surge like waves..."), and the Master of Humankind (Sayyidu al-Nas) together with the fact that he was known in the Divine presence as a Prophet while Adam (AS) was still being created, and that the latter sought his intercession because he saw his name written on the Throne.

Adam (as) asks sought intercession and forgiveness with the Prophet�s name

 In the chapter concerning the Prophet's superiority over all other Prophets in his great book titled al-Wafa bi Ahwal al-Mustafa', Ibn al-Jawzi states: "Part of the demonstration of his superiority to other Prophets is the fact that Adam (AS) asked his Lord through the sanctity (hurma) of Muhammad (SAWS) that He relent towards him." The most authentic chain for this report is not that of al-Hakim's narration from `Umar through `Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam who is weak (da`�f), but that of the Companion Maysarat al-Fajr who narrates it as follows:

Another great proof that the Messenger of Allah is the Best of Creation is the Consensus of the Imams and Ulema of Ahl al-Sunna, violating which are three scholars on record: the Zahiri Ibn Hazm; the Mu`tazili al-Zamakhshari; and the Mujassim Ibn Abi al-`Izz who was imprisoned for it as related by Ibn Hajar in his Inba' al-Ghumr (1:258-260). Shaykh `Abd Allah al-Talidi said in his Tahdhib al-Shifa' (p. 162): "The dissent of Ibn Hazm and al-Zamakhshari carries no weight."

Sayyid Abu al-Fadl `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Siddiq al-Ghumari al-Hasani wrote a book titled, Dilalat al-Qur'ani al-Mubin `ala anna al-Nabiyya Afdalu al-`Alamin ("The Indication of the Manifest Qur'an that the Prophet is the Best of the Universes"), in which he listed the verses to that effect Sura by Sura and in the introduction of which he mentioned the following story:

"Al-Sha`rani in Tabaqat al-Awliya' narrated from [his Shaykh] the Knower of Allah Abu al-Mawahib al-Shadhili that the latter said: 'A dispute took place between me and a certain person in the Mosque of al-Azhar over the statement of the author of al-Burda [Imam al-Busiri]:

    Famablaghu al-`ilmi f�hi annahu basharun
    wa annahu khayru khalqill�hi kullihimi

 Meaning:

     The apex of knowledge concerning him is that he is a human being
     and that he is the best of all the creation of Allah.

 Whereupon that person said: He has no proof for this. I said to him: Consensus (ijma`) has formed over this. He did not change his view. Later I saw the Prophet - Sallallahu `alayhi wa Alihi wa Sallam - and with him were Abu Bakr and `Umar, Allah be well-pleased with them, sitting at the pulpit of the Azhar Mosque. He said to me: Marhaban bihabibi - Welcome to my dear beloved! Then he said to his friends: Do you know what happened today? They said No, O Messenger of Allah. He said: So-and-so the Wretch (Fulan al-Ta`is) believes that the angels are better than me!... What is wrong with him, disbelieving in the Consensus?'"

Following is a list of works containing proofs from the Qur'an and Sunna of the superiority of the Prophet (SAWS) over all creation:

1. Al-Qadi `Iyad, al-Shifa' fi Ma`rifati Huquq al-Mustafa (SAWS)
2. Abu Nu`aym, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa
3. Al-Bayhaqi, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa
4. Al-Faryabi, Dala'il al-Nubuwwa
5. Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Wafa bi Ahwal al-Mustafa (SAWS)
6. Ibn `Abd al-Salam, Bidayat al-Sul fi Tafdil al-Rasul
7. Ibn Dihya, al-Mustawfa li Asma' al-Mustafa (SAWS)
8. Al-`Azafi, Sharh Asma' al-Nabi (SAWS)
9. Ibn al-`Arabi's Chapter on the Prophetic Names in `Aridat al-Ahwadhi
10. Al-Bayhaqi's Chapter on the Prophetic Names in Shu`ab al-Iman
11. Al-Busiri, al-Burda
12. Al-Busiri, al-Hamziyya
13. Al-Busiri, al-Muhammadiyya
14. Al-Suyuti, al-Khasa'is al-Kubra
15. Al-Suyuti, al-Bahja al-Bahiyya fil-Asma' al-Nabawiyya
16. Al-Suyuti, al-Riyad al-Aniqa fi Sharh Asma' Khayr al-Khaliqa
17. Al-Jazuli, Dala'il al-Khayrat
18. Al-Fasi, Sharh Dala'il al-Khayrat
19. Al-Sakhawi, al-Qawl al-Badi` fi al-Salat `ala al-Nabi al-Shafi`
20. Al-Qastallani, al-Mawahib al-Laduniyya
21. Al-Zurqani, Sharh al-Mawahib
22. Al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa'
23. Al-Qari, Sharh al-Shama'il al-Nabawiyya li al-Tirmidhi
24. Al-Munawi, Sharh al-Shama'il al-Nabawiyya li al-Tirmidhi
25. Al-Baghawi, Sharh al-Shama'il al-Nabawiyya li al-Tirmidhi
26. Al-Nabahani, al-Asma fima li Sayyidina Muhammad min al-Asma
27. Al-Nabahani, Wasa'il al-Wusul ila Shama'il al-Rasul
28. Al-Nabahani, Shawahid al-Haqq
29. Al-Nabahani, Nujum al-Muhtadin wa Rujum al-Mu`tadin
30. Al-Nabahani, Jawahir al-Bihar fi Fada'il al-Nabi al-Mukhtar
31. Al-Lahji, Muntaha al-Sul Sharh Wasa'il al-Wusul li al-Nabahani
32. Al-Jamal, Hashiyat al-Hamziyya
33. Al-Haytami, Hashiyat al-Hamziyya
34. Al-Dabbagh, al-Ibriz min Kalam Sayyidi `Abd al-`Aziz
35. `Abd Allah al-Ghumari, Dilalat al-Qur'ani al-Mubin `ala anna al-Nabiyya Afdalu al-`Alamin
36. Al-Maliki, Muhammad (SAWS) al-Insanu al-Kamil (esp. p. 181-213, 4th ed.)
|37. Sirajuddin, Sayyiduna Muhammad (SAWS)

 Al-Qadi `Iyad said in al-Shifa', in the section entitled: "On Allah honoring the Prophet (SAWS) with some of His own Beautiful Names and describing him with some of His own sublime qualities":

Know that Allah has bestowed a mark of honor on many of the Prophets by investing them with some of His names, for instance, when He calls Ishaq and Isma`il "knowing" (`alim) and "forbearing" (halim), Ibrahim "forbearing", Nuh "thankful" (shakur), `Isa and Yahya "devoted" (barr), Musa "noble" (karim) and "strong" (qawi), Yusuf "a knowing guardian" (hafiz, `alim), Ayyub "patient" (sabur), and Isma`il "truthful to the promise" (sadiq al-wa`d)... Yet He has preferred our Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, since He has adorned him with a wealth of His names in His Mighty Book and on the tongue of His Prophets. We have gathered them together after reflecting on the subject and putting our memory to work since we were unable to locate anyone who had compiled more than two names nor anyone who had dealt with it to any great extent before. We have recorded some of these names... There about thirty of them. [He then proceeds to list and explain them. They are: Ahmad, al-Ra'uf, al-Rahim, al-Haqq, al-Nur, al-Shahid, al-Karim, al-`Azim, al-Jabbar, al-Khabir, al-Fattah, al-Shakur, al-`Alim, al-`Allam, al-Awwal, al-Akhir, al-Qawi, al-Sadiq, al-Wali, al-Mawla, `Afw, al-Hadi, al-Mu'min, al-Quddus/Muqaddas, al-`Aziz, al-Bashir, al-Nadhir, Ta Ha, Ya Seen.]

May Allah send blessings and peace on the Prophet, his Family, and all his Companions. Even the Christians and Jews of old knew that the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) is the best of creation, as evidenced by some of his names and attributes reportedly found in the Bible, such as "Ikleel = Crown [of creation]" and "Parakletos = Spirit of Holiness."